Kraton Kraton 6S Exb diff questions re LSD or open diffs(from a newb)

[Arrma6]

Hello there. I am pretty new Kraton Exb owner. Had it for couple months but only drove it once. Didn't use it more because I didn't have time to take apart and check diff fluid levels. I will be only using it on 4S to start with.

Is there anything I should know about diff issues? I've read that the Exb has had issues with the rear diff. I have the newest model. I'm not sure if mine has LSD diffs or open diffs. From what I read on here, it comes with LSD in the front and center, and open in the back. But in the manual it seems like only the center is LSD. I have started taking the front diff apart yesterday. But I'm not seeing the star shims when I open the diff. They should be right there right? As soon as you open it.

So what is the best setup? Leave it as is original or changing something? I mean not regarding tuning but just durability. I don't want to get in to tuning yet as I don't understand it yet but I want to avoid any newbie mistakes before I start using it regularly.

I have already bought 50000 for the front, 20000 for rear and 500000 for the center as I read on here. But I need to know wether to convert any of the diffs(LSD/open), before I put in the oil. Cause I don't want to waste oil and take it apart again.

 

[Johnboy5586]

If yours is the exb v2/rtr then only the center is LSD, the front and rear are open. Running LSD is a personal preference from what I've read. Running the center open allows for more traditional tuning with oil weight vs the limited slip. Personally I wouldn't go any higher than 200k in the center if you're running limited slip. I'm still running 100k in mine with the lsd set to max effect. I'm running 80k in the front and 60k in the rear. Both front and rear are open on mine.

 

[Kiba.k9]

My exb v2 is running stock 80 100 80 and it seems to work pretty well honestly I have minimal issues with that

 

[Arrma6]

My exb v2 is running stock 80 100 80 and it seems to work pretty well honestly I have minimal issues with that

Did you check the diff levels before driving? So I assume they were low because everyone says so. Mine seems low in the front but I'm not sure how it's supposed to look.

 

[Johnboy5586]

Fill it up to almost the top teeth of the gears

 

[Arrma6]

If yours is the exb v2/rtr then only the center is LSD, the front and rear are open. Running LSD is a personal preference from what I've read. Running the center open allows for more traditional tuning with oil weight vs the limited slip. Personally I wouldn't go any higher than 200k in the center if you're running limited slip. I'm still running 100k in mine with the lsd set to max effect. I'm running 80k in the front and 60k in the rear. Both front and rear are open on mine.

Yeah I am in the garage now and am looking at it. It is open in the front. So I must have been looking at posts for an older version. Does this new version also have issues with the rear diff or no? So I can just leave it as is then? I mean open/lsd/open. So 100-200k in the center. Is it ok to use 50k in front and 20k rear? Because I spent a lot for those oils. I would like to use those if possible.

 

[Johnboy5586]

Yeah I am in the garage now and am looking at it. It is open in the front. So I must have been looking at posts for an older version. Does this new version also have issues with the rear diff or no? So I can just leave it as is then? I mean open/lsd/open. So 100-200k in the center. Is it ok to use 50k in front and 20k rear? Because I spent a lot for those oils. I would like to use those if possible.

No issues with the rear now. You can use them but they are pretty thin for a 6s rig

 

[Kiba.k9]

Did you check the diff levels before driving? So I assume they were low because everyone says so. Mine seems low in the front but I'm not sure how it's supposed to look. View attachment 367959

Nope just ran the snot out of her it's got a warranty

 

[Arrma6]

No issues with the rear now. You can use them but they are pretty thin for a 6s rig

Ok. I'm pretty sure most of the posts I have seen said they are running either 50/20 or 60/30. That's why I bought those. And 500k in the middle.

 

[Kiba.k9]

Ok. I'm pretty sure most of the posts I have seen said they are running either 50/20 or 60/30. That's why I bought those. And 500k in the middle.

Stick to the manual

 

[Johnboy5586]

Ok. I'm pretty sure most of the posts I have seen said they are running either 50/20 or 60/30. That's why I bought those. And 500k in the middle.

500k is for an open center diff not limited slip. You can use the thinner oils but keep in mind it's going to burn the oil up a lot quicker than with heavier oils like what it came with

 

[Arrma6]

Nope just ran the snot out of her it's got a warranty

Yeah that's what I thought at first. But ever since I started reading on here, I have been worried of all sorts of things going wrong

I mean the manual does say after 10 or 20 batteries to check the diffs, so that's why I was wondering how is it possible that they deliver cars without enough oil in them.

 

[Kiba.k9]

No clue on that i fully use my warranty on any expensive product if I feel it was a issue with quality ie not properly filling diffs if they would have failed I'd have used it

 

[Arrma6]

500k is for an open center diff not limited slip. You can use the thinner oils but keep in mind it's going to burn the oil up a lot quicker than with heavier oils like what it came with

I could use these oils and change them more often since I got them. Because I don't want to waste them. I mean only the f/r not the center. I will get 100k for the center.

How often do you think I need to refill the oils?

 

[Johnboy5586]

I could use these oils and change them more often since I got them. Because I don't want to waste them. I mean only the f/r not the center. I will get 100k for the center.

How often do you think I need to refill

I fully understand, nothing is free or cheap. If you put those in the front and rear I'd run say 10 packs and then check them to see how the oil is holding up/breaking down

 

[Arrma6]

No clue on that i fully use my warranty on any expensive product if I feel it was a issue with quality ie not properly filling diffs if they would have failed I'd have used it

The guy from the store told me the warranty is only for the electronics. But I'm sure that's nonsense since that's not what Arrma warranty says. But of course parts that break due to use or wear items are not gonna be under warranty.

But I heard Arrma is good when it comes to warranty. Is it the store or HH Arrma that decides if a warranty claim goes through?

 

[Johnboy5586]

You'd be surprised what Horizon will do warranty wise, don't ask how I know

 

[Kiba.k9]

You'd be surprised what Horizon will do warranty wise, don't ask how I know

Bingo

 

[Arrma6]

You'd be surprised what Horizon will do warranty wise, don't ask how I know

That's great to hear. It was a reason why I chose Arrma Kraton vs Corally Kagama.

Here's a better picture of the inside of diff. How does that look? It seems like one corner is empty but the rest looks good. Is it ok to just add my 20K oil in there to top up? Or is mixing different cst oils not good?

 

[morrjr71]

Yeah that's what I thought at first. But ever since I started reading on here, I have been worried of all sorts of things going wrong

I mean the manual does say after 10 or 20 batteries to check the diffs, so that's why I was wondering how is it possible that they deliver cars without enough oil in them.

Arrma hasn't filled diffs up properly for as long as I can remember. It could be Arrma just being cheap and saving money on diff fluid, or there not being enough time on the assembly line to let the diff fluid settle into the gears and then refill properly (fluid weight of 100k or more takes a long time to settle in a diff case). Whatever the reason, I always check the diffs when I get a new Arrma vehicle. I can honestly say that all but one diff on my three 6s vehicles was half full or less. The one diff that wasn't filled half full or less, a center diff, was 2/3 full.

As a side note: it's not only Arrma that has issues with diff fluid levels. My three Corally vehicles had diffs that weren't full, but they were close to 2/3 or 3/4 full from the factory.

You'd be surprised what Horizon will do warranty wise, don't ask how I know

Horizon was good to me when the grub screw on my left front CVDs stripped when I tried to remove it, even after applying heat and using high quality hex drivers. Horizon sent me left and right steering blocks, CVDs, bearings, and all the parts necessary to build two complete front steering assemblies. All I had to do was send them a pic of one stripped grub screw still in the CVD.